TANK on creating sensitive architecture that resonates with its context

designboom (DB): can you start by telling us how you met, and why you decided to set up an office together?

lydéric veauvy (LV): we entered saint luc in tournai in the same year, and quickly formed a friendship based on exchanges and discussions around architecture. we built a demanding and uncompromising bond with each other based on how we approach architectural design. I don’t recall having made any individual project without consulting each other. the idea to create something together was always there during our studies, but it was not pronounced. we had each come a long way on our own, but then after taking the time to share our motivations, and establish the objectives and balance of an architectural partnership, we decided to create TANK.

olivier camus (OC): we developed a real rapport as far as group projects are concerned, out of friendship. in addition to that rapport, we wanted to work with a strong team to think carefully about how we would approach architectural design.

DB: in what ways does the weather, climate and materiality of northern france influence your projects?

LV: the geography is, of course, pertinent to a project. more broadly, it is through the relationship to the landscape, to materiality, to the poetry found in the passing of time, that our projects and the choreography of their forms uncover their ‘atmospheric capacity’: the variations of the sky, the alternations of rain and sun, and rain under the sun, certainly invite us to express the course of water, the overflows, the play of shadow and light, matter as a partner in the variations of seasons, an art of building that is conscious of these elements, and the passing of time.

OC: our projects are very attentive to light, we are very much aware that the north and the south, the east and the west, are not fixed realities on a cross in a map, but rather much more subtle according to the seasons. the materiality of the north, although we have used brick extensively, is not necessarily an influence. it is above all the context, the local, low-carbon materials, and the know-how that interests us. it is also very difficult to find these right materialities in an industrialized and globalized world.

DB: you often use wood in your projects. what characteristics of the material make it desirable to you?

OC: wood is a natural material, not an extraction material. it’s very tactile, it feels and smells good, has beautiful sonority, and is easy to work with. one could say that is one of the rare materials that is accessible to everyone, there is a certain richness, you can make anything with wood: frameworks, façades, furniture, anything, that’s why it’s quite magical. it gives access to an understanding of the building. we went through an opaque phase where the buildings were somewhat abstract. we promoted the expression before construction. we often struggle with that, the temptation to be more sculptural and abstract, and the desire to be more readable, more artisanal, etc. — wood for such expressions bears many qualities. it is with the projects built in wood that we are able to be most creative and free in the office.

LV: we try to develop precise details, but simple solutions. the use of single materials means we can preserve quality in terms of composition, framing and proportions; it supports the physical and visual force of the buildings. the quality of a building should not lie solely in the material you add onto it.

DB: we recently published your project ‘maison mouvaux’. what was the brief for this house, and what did you set out to achieve with your design?

LV: the clients wanted a ‘secretive and simple’ house, respectful of the largely wooded site. our ambition was to create an architecture that eluded the size of the program, and had the ability to slip into and towards the tree line on the site. very quickly, the idea of two very strong experiences: being a ‘protector’ in the trees, one who experiences all the sequences offered on the ground floor, and one who benefits from very strong inside and outside: a project capable of multiplying the poetic and sensitive composition of sky, trees, and the very strong presence of the site’s landscape.

OC: we explored the notion of ‘secrecy’ and quickly started working on the interlacing of spaces — spaces that are open to one another, and open to the garden, while at the same time remain hidden and private. it’s like a bourgeois house in which you find rooms for each purpose, but also modern. we used different variations of wood in different nuances, which allowed us to explore this duality and achieve a balance between intimate and open, comfortable and welcoming, as well as open to the exterior and to the panoramic view of the garden at the same time. there are almost no corridors in the house and we’ve worked intensively on the perspectives: the relationships between the different rooms, the interior perspectives, moments and relationships between the garden and the interior that we uncover throughout the whole house. these are all adapted to little domestic rituals, small moments of life.

DB: do you both work on all stages of a project, or do you find that you have different strengths?

OC: our office resembles a house, and our team works like a big family. we know each other very well, and we find quickly the common thread of a project. the starting point for the projects takes the form of many discussions within the group, supported by sketches and collective models. we spend a lot of time researching and model-making, but the principal tool remains the drawing. we don’t work by hypotheses. in the process of our work, we arrive very quickly at the objectives, and our team develops one concept around the objectives and where we want to go.

LV: we work together on all our projects throughout the sketch, competition and pre-planning phases. on our first projects, everything is discussed, exchanged and co-written within the time available. in the following phases, it is often one of us who becomes the referent due to circumstances, the need to be immersed in the project management team, and according to the amount of precise data that needs to be incorporated into our reflection. we trust each other, but we constantly try to maintain this critical double reading which takes projects to the next level — but sometimes time constraints can limit us.

the timetable of a project is long and, sometimes, we alternate taking on the role of a ‘referee’, in particular in terms of the direction of the design during the construction phase. a priori, we do not have different areas of expertise, but requirements and skills may differ depending on the area or the time. we often serve as the ‘complementary muscle’ of one another and alternate depending on the subject.

DB: how do you develop projects with your team? do you prioritize model-making and sketching over a more digital approach?

LV: our work methods are very empirical and intuitive, the process differs depending on the subject, the time available, and the number of projects that need to be designed simultaneously. we like to use both craft tools, as well as the art of the hand, the ‘thinking hand’: sketches, diagrams, tracings, cutting and drawing, models. we come from a generation that learned to design and draw by hand while experiencing the advent of computers and their infinite possibilities.

furthermore, we also use digital tools when they offer other means of design (light, reflection, precision, immersion, substance, etc.). we quickly integrated a model workshop in the office, coupled with an in-house development of research and architectural visualizations. in the end, what matters is the ability of a tool to further help us with the design of a project.

DB: you recently carried out a research project on the question: what determines the qualities of the dwelling for the user? what conclusions did you draw from this study?

LV: we have been working on this issue in practice for years. with the research project that is now underway, we aim to structure this approach, to define a precise state of the art on this issue, and to develop new research methods. until now, the research applied to this project has been at the heart of this initiative. we have identified a number of fundamental aspects for these qualities of a dwelling:

the capacity of a housing project to create a sense of togetherness and neighborliness; the importance of the typological quality which stems from the uses and functions and thorough work on the ‘furnishability’ of the space. a good dwelling should be able to accommodate multiple uses and as many ways of living as there are inhabitants. there are as many kitchens as there are families, and if the plan fails to allow for these variations, the dwelling can quickly reach its limits; a well-designed bedroom also allows the housing typologies to adapt themselves to the evolution of the family structure; the importance of gradients of intimacy, the capacity of the project to offer an interior life to the community and the city, a presence, but also intimate places; the relationship with the human being is essential; the project’s ability to seize the views, the light, and to experience the context in a qualitative manner.

housing project in luxembourg | image © TANK

halle de calais, calais, france, 2015 | image © julien lanoo

school in clichy-sous-bois, france, 2015 | image © julien lanoo

ongoing project for the cultural project le carré janson in tournai, belgium | image © TANK

ongoing project for the international campus lesaffre in france | image © TANK

DB: what projects are you currently working on that you are particularly excited about?

OC: one important project under construction is the reinvention of a UNESCO world heritage site in tournai. the plot encompasses buildings from different time periods that have not been used for the past 30-40 years, and the question was how to reinvent this place and a sense of urgency that would make it universal through a contemporary and respectful intervention. this project is planned to become a place of entry to the city, a place that can allow the visitor to discover the culture and history of the city, a touristic destination, but also one with offices dedicated to professionals, conference rooms, an auditorium, as well as places dedicated to everyday life — meeting rooms, a restaurant — it’s a hybrid space that acts as a place for the inhabitants of tournai, a place for tourists, a place for professionals. a site that will adapt to all sorts of the needs.

lydéric veauvy (left) and olivier camus (right) in their office in lille, france | image © julien lanoo